July 26th

July 26, 2013

CRANSTON â€“ The Lincoln All-Stars didn't just dominate their games among Rhode Island's best, but turned all of them into cakewalks.

Their mastery of the bat was a major reason why.

Skipper Matt Netto's offensive-minded crew once again derailed Cranston Western, this time by a 13-2 count, to claim the R.I. Little League Major Division (11-12) Tournament title at CWLL's Michael P. Varrato Field home on Friday night.

July 25th

July 25, 2013

LINCOLN -- It will certainly be â€śGame Onâ€ť for four fighters with local ties to the Blackstone Valley this weekend when Classic Entertainment & Sports, Inc. hosts an action-packed card at the Twin River Events Center.

Pawtucket middleweight Thomas Falowo will make his co-feature debut in an eight-round showdown, and Woonsocket super middleweight Joe Gardner will try to erase the sting of a close loss in May to Richard Gingras in a six-round battle.

July 24th

July 24, 2013

BRISTOL, Conn. â€“ The final game of pool play of the Little League Eastern Regionals may very well prove a harbinger of things to come.
Yes, the Cumberland Major Divisions All-Stars and the George J. Hummel Little League from Seymour, Conn. still have to get through its respective quarterfinal-round clashes before meeting with a spot in the regional championship hanging in the balance.
After the performance these same two teams staged Wednesday night at Breen Field on the Bart Giamatti Complex, itâ€™s certainly within the realm of possibility that a rematch could be in the fold come Friday.

July 24, 2013

CUMBERLAND â€” Perhaps the only thing Cumberland American's All-Stars didn't do as a team Wednesday night was hit for the cycle.
There were no triples, but it didn't really matter much.
Manager Dave Belisle's contingent amassed 15 hits, including four doubles and a dinger, and took advantage of eight errors as CALL posted an astonishingly-lopsided 22-5 â€śmercy-ruleâ€ť victory over East Woonsocket's best in the R.I. Little League District IV Major Division (10-11) Tournament championship game at Garvin Field.

July 24, 2013

Jay Rainville decided, one day two years ago, to put his right arm to the test.

â€śI knew immediately that it wasnâ€™t going to happen,â€ť he remarked one recent Friday while standing by the home dugout at Chet Nichols Field.

It was the same right arm that in its heyday produced fastballs that lit up the radar gun and generated a resounding pop from the catcherâ€™s mitt. It was the right arm that enabled this Pawtucket native and Bishop Hendricken alumnus to become a No. 1 draft choice of the Minnesota Twins and unlock the door to the exclusive world of professional baseball.

July 23rd

July 23, 2013

BRISTOL, Conn. --- After watching his All-Star team nearly mercy-rule the Mount Abraham All-Stars of New Haven, Vt. in an easy victory on Sunday, Cumberland manager Chris Bodington knew that his girls had probably seen their last lopsided win of the Eastern Regional tournament.

On deck was a pool play contest against a team that took Cumberland extra innings a year ago in the tourney, two-time Maine state champ Scarborough, and the next game was against a tougher opponent, the George J. Hummel All-Stars of Seymour, Conn.

July 23, 2013

PAWTUCKET -- Almost simultaneously, co-managers Matt Bergeron and Luke McLaughlin leaned back in their office chairs rather amused when asked the question, â€śHow the heck did you do it?!â€ť

â€śWeâ€™re still trying to figure that out!â€ť Bergeron exclaimed of the miraculous, comeback 13-12 victory recorded by the Boys & Girls Club of Pawtucket RBI Junior Division All-Stars over the Jersey City, N.J./Jackie Robinson Mets in Queens, N.Y. back on Saturday, July 13.

July 22nd

July 22, 2013

WARWICK â€“ Upper Deck Post 86/14 skipper Steve Reynolds Sr. admitted before his squad's final regular-season tilt against Senerchia Post 74 early Monday night that he'd be a bit shorthanded, as four or five of his players were home nursing minor injuries.
â€śIt's a long season, and those things are going to happen,â€ť he stated. â€śWe're OK.â€ť
The club was much better than that after recent Cumberland High grad and southpaw Dylan Boisclair scattered five hits and three walks while mowing down a half-dozen Senerchia batters in a satisfying 3-1 victory at Hendricken High's Ray Pepin Field.

July 20th

July 20, 2013

CRANSTON â€” If the Lincoln All-Stars had any concerns during their R.I. Little League Major Division (11-12) Tournament opener on Saturday afternoon, they didn't relate to their collective performance but the weather conditions, which slowly deteriorated.
As the skies overhead grew dark and thunder resounding in the background, righty reliever Dave Bordieri put the finishing touches on Cranston Western, the crushed victim of relentless Lincoln's 13-0 â€śmercy ruleâ€ť triumph at Michael P. Varrato Field.

July 19th

July 19, 2013

BRISTOL, Conn. â€” Jocelyn Bodington delivered one of the finest outings of her young softball career, Alex Pina knocked in five runs to lead a potent attack at the plate, and the Cumberland All-Stars made their presence felt in a very big way on Friday afternoon in the Eastern Regional tournament.
The three-time Major Division state champions kicked off their New England pool play by parlaying Bodingtonâ€™s dominant pitching and an 11-hit assault into an 11-1 win over Charlton, Mass. that went all six innings at Breen Field on the Bart Giamatti Complex.

July 18th

July 18, 2013

LINCOLN â€” On Tuesday afternoon, Lincoln All-Starsâ€™ manager Matt Netto still didnâ€™t know which opponent his team would face in the opening round of the upcoming state Little League Major Division (11-12) Tournament.
Because Cranston Western upset winnersâ€™ bracket titleist Johnston, 11-6, Monday night, those two District I representatives faced off in a winner-take-all championship game on Wednesday night at Cranston Westernâ€™s home site.

July 17th

July 17, 2013

CUMBERLAND â€” When the Cumberland Major Division All-Stars arrive at the Bart Giamatti Complex in Bristol, Conn. sometime later this morning, theyâ€™re going to have the perfect guide to direct them around the facilities in Jocelyn Bodington.
Thatâ€™s because the 12-year-old standout is the only member of last seasonâ€™s ballclub â€“ coaches included â€“ that participated in the Eastern Regionals and was two victories away from capturing the regional championship and earning its way into the Little League World Series.

July 15th

July 15, 2013

LINCOLN â€“ Most skippers would agree: You take 'em how you can get 'em.

Upper Deck Post 86-14 took advantage of seven walks, a hit batsmen and three errors â€“ all in a nine-run fifth frame â€“ to register a stunning, come-from-behind 11-6 marathon victory over Navigant Post 85 at Chet Nichols Memorial Field on Monday night.

With the triumph, Upper Deck â€“ which mustered only three hits in the contest â€“ remained in first place in R.I. American Legion League-North Division action at 13-3 (18-5 overall), while co-manager Jim Gauthier's club fell to 12-5 in league play.

July 14th

July 14, 2013

LINCOLN -- Southpaw Kyle Marrapese hurled four-plus innings of superb relief and teammate Dominic Cunha went 2-for-2 with a double, walk, three RBI and two runs scored on Sunday night.
With that and more, the Lincoln All-Stars snatched an easier-than-expected 13-2 victory over Cumberland National in the R.I. Little League District IV Tournamentâ€™s title tilt at Randy Hien Field late Sunday night.
In the process, Lincoln inked its return to the state tourney, and will begin play on Saturday at Cranston Westernâ€™s home.

July 12th

July 12, 2013

WOONSOCKET â€” Perhaps 10 minutes after the Lincoln All-Stars had clinched its second straight appearance in the championship final of the R.I. Little League District IV Major Division (11-12) Tournament â€“ courtesy of a 10-3 victory over Cumberland National at Bernonâ€™s Ayotte Field on Friday night â€“ manager Matt Netto expressed some dissatisfaction.

July 11th

July 11, 2013

PAWTUCKET â€” Pineview All-Starsâ€™ skipper Joe Clark received the good news on Tuesday night.
That is, his state champion Big League squad would, in fact, make the trip to the Eastern Regional Big League Tournament in Dover, Del.
After Pineview recorded an easy 10-1 victory over East Greenwich in the state title tilt at its own Presidentâ€™s Field on Sunday night, it qualified for its second straight and seventh berth in the regional affair in the past 10 years.

July 11, 2013

NORTH SMITHFIELD â€” After steamrolling its opposition in its first eight games by a combined score of 107-17, Chris Bodington knew that his Cumberland All-Star team needed to sweat out a close contest somewhere down the line if it planned to take on the finest teams in New England in the extra-competitive Eastern Regionals.

July 11, 2013

LINCOLN â€“ Nick Zammarelli boarded a plane Thursday night fully confident that he made the correct decision â€“ one that figures to benefit him in the long run.

As tempting as it was to turn pro, the recent Lincoln High School graduate believes in his heart of hearts that the pursuit can wait a few years. College life featuring side orders of education and baseball at North Carolinaâ€™s Elon University beckons for the 18-year-old Zammarelli following a spring and summer that can be best summed up as a whirlwind.

July 11, 2013

PAWTUCKET â€” After having suffered eight straight defeats at Rochester and Lehigh Valley over the past eight days, the Pawtucket Red Sox desperately wanted to break that horrendous string against these same Red Wings on Thursday night.
The PawSox not only were swept in two consecutive four-game sets for the first time since last June 18-25, but went victory-less on a road trip of eight games or more dating back to 1988.

July 10th

July 10, 2013

CUMBERLAND â€” Must-win pressure? Cumberland American showed zero signs of it on Wednesday night in its Pool A finale against Scituate-Foster.
Needing a victory to cement a spot in Fridayâ€™s District 4 Major Division semifinals at Ayotte Field, CALL cruised to its third triumph in four games by mercy-ruling S-F, 14-3, in four innings at Garvin Field.